Badger Girl has traveled far and wide. After years of being an angst ridden graduate student, she has returned home and set her sites on more domestic matters. This blog details her culinary adventures, stumbling blocks and questions. Some day she will be able to follow a recipe, create new dishes and maybe actually get her timing down, but until then, join her as she strives to become a Master Chef.

Monday, March 21, 2011

The Sponge

I am making a Sponge.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Not to be deterred from my quest to make homemade, from scratch bread, I have moved on to a new technique: Making bread from a sponge or starter dough.

You mix together some yeast, water and flour. You let it rise and fall, and then mix it with a regular dough. The technique appealed to me because part one takes place at room temperature. No warming ovens or sunny patches that I will use to kill any yeast. Let's just hope the yeast doesn't freeze over night as we keep the house pretty cool at nit.

It's a two day project so I am happy to report that the sponge has begun.

P.S. To update you from the dinner party: it went very well, everything was done with time for a glass of wine before the guests arrived. I did not manage to take any decent pictures (note taken: plain rice noodles in a white bowl do not a nice picture make) but hope to make the recipes again soon. The sleeper hit of the party was the carrot salad. Essentially it was grated carrots, raisins, parsley, toasted almonds and a honey-dijon vinaigrette. Yum!!